Kushite Empire

The Kushite Empire was the twenty-fifth dynasty of Egypt, existing from 744 BC to 656 BC. The Kingdom of Kush invaded Egypt and conquered it, and Napata became the capital of the Kushite Empire. The empire waged several successful and unsuccessful wars against Assyria, and the Kushites introduced many Nubian practices to Egyptian society. The Nubian kings failed to gain a foothold in the Levant at the Assyrians' expense, and Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal responded by invading Egypt. The Nubians were driven out of power, and the Assyrians installed a puppet regime in power to replace the Kushites; the puppet Twenty-sixth Dynasty, which lasted until 525 BC, was the last native dynasty to rule Egypt before the Persians conquered it.